Tips to help pass the theory test

The UK driving test consists of two parts, the theory test and the practical driving test. You will not be able to obtain a full UK driving licence until you have passed both tests. You have to pass the theory test before you can book the practical driving test.

The theory test is a computer based test, and consists of a multiple choice element, you'll be asked 50 questions in 57 minutes and the pass mark is 43 out of 50. You are then allowed up to a 3 minute break before the video based hazard perception test is begun. During the hazard perception test, you will be shown 14 video clips each of which will have one developing hazard, but one of the clips will have 2 hazards. You have to click the mouse when you think you spot the hazard, with a maximum of 5 points being awarded if spotted in the earliest window, and zero score if the click is too late. The Pass score is 44 out of 75.

You need to pass both elements in the same sitting for you to be awarded a pass certificate on the theory test.

The Theory Test was introduced in July 1996 because the driving standards agency wanted to make sure that pupils had the right attitude and knowledge to be able to drive a car unsupervised on UK roads before being issued a full driving licence.

Many learner drivers see the theory test as just a hurdle that needs to be overcome before taking the practical driving test, and will cram all the knowledge required to pass the test, and once they have passed the theory test will forget about all they learnt, thinking that they need to concentrate now entirely on the practical driving test.

I have lost count of the number of people who have failed the practical driving test because they did not apply the knowledge they had gained to pass the theory test during the practical test. Simple things like knowing bus lane operating times, knowing the national speed limit sign, what to do at a pedestrian crossing!

If you are preparing for the practical test, you still need to read the highway code and those books you used to prepare for the theory test, can you allow all the hard work you put into learning to drive go down the drain just because you failed to notice the national speed limit sign on a dual carriageway?

Don't fail your practical driving test because you forgot the knowledge from the theory test.